Dimitri Kondraki

Original World

When Dimitri was very young, too young to really remember much of his life, both of his parents passed away. He was placed in the care of their next of kin, his aunt and uncle, and lived there for his entire life. His caretakers, however, wanted nothing to do with the boy, and abused him in a multitude of ways: verbally, emotionally, spiritually, until his mental state was irreparably damaged. The only person who ever really loved him was his cousin, Sasha; they grew up together as siblings, and were as close as friends can be. In truth, she was his only real friend alongside his Pokemon: Dimitri never had anyone else close to him, and all of his attempts at romantic relationships went poorly. It was a lonely life. But at least he wasn’t completely on his own, and that was all Dimitri could ask for.

The worst day of his life was when Sasha died. It was also the first day of the outbreak that upturned his world; the two of them were taking a trip to Goldenrod at the time, thinking only of spending time together and buying a game Sasha really wanted. They were caught in a crowd when a monstrous, seemingly rabid Mamoswine began its rampage through the city streets; Dimitri fell and was buried beneath corpses. When Sasha attempted to rescue him, she was instead attacked and torn apart by a horde of Murkrow. He was forced to listen to her gruesome end, and it broke him utterly. Dimitri never regained the faith he lost that day. Three of his Pokemon died in equally brutal fashion as his cousin, and with each death, more of his sanity chipped away. The last straw came when he somehow stumbled into a strange rift in space, a place where the entire dark truth was revealed to him: Arceus orchestrated it all. They created the virus and unleashed it upon the world they made, all for petty reasons. After learning of this, Dimitri couldn’t summon the will to keep going. Splitting off from his two Pokemon, he climbed Mt. Coronet in an attempt to commit suicide. He planned to lie down in the snow and freeze to death, or let himself be killed by some stray undead. Either way, it would all end, and Dimitri would be free. Only the end never arrived. He instead was snatched away by yet another rift, and taken to a different world.

Hisui

In the new world, Dimitri had nothing left. His Pokemon were gone, thrown into another universe in their effort to catch up to him on Mt. Coronet, and they were all that once remained with Dimitri. He might have continued his intentions here, had he not met Volo. The traveling merchant was the first person Dimitri met in this universe, and it was with him that he began to live this new life in a strange world. Even as time passed, they never parted ways, and people started to expect to always see them together. Dimitri couldn’t explain it, other than sensing that Volo was a kindred spirit. His instincts were confirmed to be true when the other man told him of his suffering, his losses and grief in this world; like Dimitri, he’d been hurt and abandoned so many times. Arceus, the creator of this world as well, was silent in the face of his begging for answers, an explanation for why the horrid things he’d endured could exist. Both of them were at the mercy of an uncaring, hateful god. It was at this point that Dimitri realized the depths of his trust and love for Volo. In return, he shared his own pain, telling his partner of his own life and the plague that stole everything from him. It was here that they truly became one: one soul united in a single purpose. They would tear Arceus from the god’s undeserved throne. They would make its power their own, and use it to end all suffering.

Their plans truly came into fruition when the trio from Dimitri’s world arrived: Cynthia, Colress, and Lynn. Not only would they have the power to confront the mad gods at Spear Pillar, they were given the plates connected with Arceus as well. It was all going right. Except, that is, for Dimitri’s unintended bonds with the trio. He and Volo needed their trust, sure, but he never meant to become true friends. He never meant to care for and love them. Though Dimitri stayed with the plan to its unsuccessful end, his heart cried out at the betrayal he inflicted upon them; when he and Volo left Hisui, it only felt right that he should be deprived of the people he’d grown so close with. It was deserved. Even later on, when the two of them reconciled with their friends in Hisui, Dimitri felt the forgiveness shown to be undeserved on his part. Never again would he take his bonds for granted. Dimitri cherished the time spent with the trio, particularly Lynn, and wept when it was time for them to return to their world. He could only hope it would be kinder now than it’d ever been before, and that they would be safe. Even if they could never meet again, Dimitri still loved them as family.

Paldea AU

Dimitri never anticipated immortality, but it was set upon him and Volo all the same. The two of them outlived everyone they’d known in Hisui, and every person they met after as well. They traveled endlessly throughout their long lives, preferring to keep a low profile; their only steady companions were their Ghost-type Pokemon, particularly Lady, Dimitri’s beloved Hisuian Typhlosion. It was their own little family. One day, however, the worst came to pass. Dimitri had fallen severely ill, barely able to function and seemingly near death; he could hardly think or see. He spent so many torturous days suffering. At one point, he knew Volo was with him, but when he was finally able to once again process the world around him, his beloved was gone. Dimitri needed no encouragement to begin searching for him. He traveled far, and spent so long looking, yet could not find the person most important to him. Volo never reappeared. There was not so much as a glimpse of the man, and Dimitri fell into despair. He spent a very long time alone, centuries passing and the world marching into a modern age-a world he had once been familiar with, several lifetimes ago.

Sebastian was what truly brought Dimitri out of emotional and somewhat physical isolation. He cared for the kid deeply, more than anything really, and could not give them a happy, safe life without making changes. That meant truly rejoining the world around him. So far, Dimitri has excelled at this, and taken to a domestic life like a fish to water. He’s settled down currently in Paldea with Sebastian, and has proudly supported his kiddo through all their endeavors. He’s also had the shock of his life seeing Lynn, Cynthia, Colress, and Ingo again. There were definitely buckets of tears involved. Dimitri’s sheer happiness at their reunion can’t be overstated. Being with his loved ones again has helped him bloom further. He stubbornly accompanies them to Area Zero when the kids head there, both out of a need to protect and self-admitted separation anxiety. Down there, Dimitri is greeted with yet another miracle when he’s reunited with Volo, who had been trapped within the place for centuries. Presently, Dimitri has his hands full with a whole horde of children and helping his partner through trauma and displacement, but that has to be it for now… right?